Travel agencies in various parts of the world bid goodbye to commissions from air ticketing a long time ago. Even in India, the last decade witnessed commissions dwindling from nine to seven to five to three percent and independent agencies filed lawsuits against airlines in the High Courts of the country so as to reinstate higher commissions but to no avail. In October 2008, 16 international airlines... 

Before I begin, I must admit my obsession with Google and its products, especially those with the trademark ‘beta’ tag attached to it. From the initial rollout of Gmail to Labs, Google Earth, Google Wave and most recently Buzz, I’ve always been captivated by anything new rolling out of 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway. This is why I am so excited by their strategy to finally make inroads in the travel...